Family, A Birthday and Welcoming Fall

Happy Fall!

The first apple pie and batch of pumpkin bread have been baked! Leaves are slowly beginning to turn. The weather is cool and it is finally boot and sweater time! I love this time of year!

Especially since the beginning of the fall semester, the days seem to pass by slowly but the weeks fly by! This is what has been going on in our lives during the past few months:

The end of July was the Ward family reunion in Dickson! The majority of the family was there and it was so great to catch up with everyone! I'm so thankful for each and every one of them!

The Jeff Ward Family

The Ward Family, July 27, 2013

August 8^th was Austin’s 26^th birthday! We celebrated by road-tripping with the Mayfields to my Mom’s home in Atlanta, Georgia! Our van is the perfect road tripping vehicle and we always have a good time with great friends. 

Mom and Larry were so gracious to host all of us in their beautiful home. It really looks like something out of Southern Living magazine.

Larry grilled us delicious steaks, which we ate with baked potatoes and broccoli. What a welcome home feast! On Saturday, we ventured out to downtown Atlanta to enjoy a local tradition- The Varsity! We loved sporting our hats! 

After lunch, we headed home and enjoyed the pool. Then it started raining. At the first sign of lightening, we made a hasty exit. We watched a movie inside, though, while Mom prepared a delicious birthday feast for Austin! It was sooo delicious! 

Lime Grilled Chicken, Green Beans, Sliced Tomatoes, Mashed Potatoes, Squash Casserole, Cucumber Salad, Sweet Tea

The finishing touch was Austin's birthday cake! He loves chocolate covered strawberries, so Mom made him a strawberry cake with homemade chocolate icing with chocolate covered strawberries all over it. It was a huge hit! 

Sunday, we went with Mom and Larry to Passion City Church (we rode a shuttle from a parking deck to the worship center- definitely a new experience) and ate a lovely lunch at Chili's before heading to Nashville to eat dinner at P.F. Chang's with Austin's family! 

The following weekend, Union students moved back to Jackson. Mom and Dad came to help Mary move in so we got some family time that weekend. Dad even surprised us with Steel City Pops :-)

Austin and I have started running in the mornings! We are using the "Couch to 5k" app on our Droids! We have found that its much easier to get up and get going together. We have been trying to remain consistent with it over the past few weeks. We just want a healthier lifestyle!

One of our favorite runs happened when we were in Dickson the first weekend of September. We ran the 2 mile loop around Austin's parent's home, and the weather was PERFECT! It was the first real fall morning and it was so much fun to run out in the beauty of the country instead of in our little neighborhood. 

While we were in Dickson, we went through lots of Austin's childhood things in the basement. It was a big project, but Austin and Arica got so much done! It was good to catch up with everyone, even if it was a shorter visit. 

Two weekends ago was Family Weekend at Union. Dad came up from Birmingham for it. Saturday we went on a hike at the Union trails, then went to the ZTA Shrimp Boil and Fireworks that evening. It was the perfect, cool evening and everything looked so festive! 

Happy Wednesday, everyone! 

Hope's Splendid Song

This weekend we made a quick visit to Birmingham to help Dad lead a worship service on Sunday night, featuring many of Dad's original compositions! We had such a good time- it was so good to see friends and family and to be a part of something so special.

Mary, Austin and me drove down to Birmingham on Saturday morning, arriving just in time for lunch. We had to visit the amazing Iguana Grill! It is the best Mexican restaurant I've ever been to!

After lunch, we went to Samford and practiced the music with our lovely accompanist Anna Williams :-) We also recorded a fun children's song that Anna wrote called, "A Good Name". It was such a fun rehearsal! 

In the courtyard at the School of Performing Arts

After the rehearsal, we were surprised with a delicious made-from-scratch peach cobbler made by Anna's mother, Eloise. She was so thoughtful to do that and it was greatly enjoyed!

Before going home, we made our first trip to the famed "Steel City Pops". I'd heard rave reviews about the popsicles and they certainly met with our expectations! I had a strawberry one, Mary had a peach, Austin had orange cream and Dad had lime. Yum! I'm craving another one now! 

Sunday, we went to church at Dawson. When we arrived, I saw someone who looked a lot like my Aunt Meg standing in front of the church. It turned out to be her! With Mary's help, she surprised all of us! It was so great to get to see her and spend some time together! 

We ate lunch at Jim N Nicks (tradition, of course), then went back to Steel City Pops again- haha!

You can't tell in the picture, but Vulcan is holding a popsicle :-) 

We had just enough to take a quick nap, finish up preparations for the worship service and change clothes before we needed to go to the church. The service went so well! Those in attendance told us how worshipful and special it was. It was so cool to hear Dad sing music that has come from his heart and lead the congregation in worship choruses. 

Visiting after the service with Mrs. Williams. 

The girls! Aunt Meg gave all of us red roses :-) 

Because Austin had work on Monday, we headed back to Jackson late that night. We loved our trip to Birmingham!

Summer Lovin'

Wow! Is it really already the second week of July? Where in the world has this summer gone? Besides updating about my current fitness challenge, I have been terrible at blogging this summer! Here is one massive first half of summer post! Enjoy :-)

Memorial Day was spent in two really fun ways!

My girlfriends from college and I had reunion at Panama City Beach! It was such a blast and I loved every minute! It was a blessing to catch up on what the Lord is doing in each of our lives. I'm so thankful for their friendships- that we have the ability to pick up where we leave off and that we're sisters in Christ. Before we left, we prayed for one another on the beach (after going to great lengths to obtain pizza!). It's so wonderful to know that even though we're spread out over several different states, the Lord binds us all together. Pamela, Cassidy, Becca, Maggie, Carter and Emily, I love y'all so much and I'm so thankful for your friendship!

I have GORGEOUS friends- inside and out! :-)

In the meantime, Austin and Dad went camping in the Sipsey Wilderness in Winston County, Alabama. They ventured out into the wilderness with their packs, a tent, and lots of Dinty Moore beef stew! I was nervous about the fact they would have no cell phone reception, but I was really nervous that the area is notorious for feral pigs! I should have known Austin would construct a spear :-)

Austin and Dad set up camp, complete with a fire! The camo jumpsuit is my favorite touch.

The guys enjoyed a very (insert hilarious story here) full day of hiking on Saturday and went to see this tree. Its one of the largest trees of its kind in the country!

Exhausted after our wonderful trips, Austin and I headed back to Jackson Monday night!


Austin's New Job! 

Like the heading suggests, Austin has a new job, which he started the day after Memorial Day! He is a full-time counselor for Youth Villages at their Deer Valley campus in Linden, Tennessee! This is such a blessing from the Lord! We have been praying for a full time counseling job for Austin for a long time! He'll be able to get wonderful experience while working for a great company, and can start completing his hours for his LPC! :-) He's already been to three trainings in Memphis and is enjoying the job. We're both enjoying a more stable schedule and money flow :-)


Fun and Mary Kay in Dickson

The weekend after Memorial Day, we headed to Dickson. Austin's mom and her friend Kaye performed at the Promise Land Festival on Saturday night. They are an awesome Americana duo and they did such a great job! You can check out their website here. I'm so blessed to have such a talented mother-in-law!

Austin, Arica, Grandmomma, Doris, Ann and I enjoyed the performance!

After the performance, we enjoyed a delicious dinner together at Applebee's, then went back to the house to prepare for Arica's Mary Kay Debut Party! Before bed, Arica and I did facials with Grandmomma and the Great Aunts. So Fun!

Sunday afternoon was Arica's Mary Kay Debut Party. She decorated everything so cute! The party went well- it was fun to get to support Arica in her Mary Kay business. 

Father's Day, a Wedding and Celebrating 60 Years

Father's Day weekend we went up to Paducah! We arrived on Friday night and stayed at the Hampton Inn, thanks to my stepdad's Hilton Honors Points :-) Mom and Larry traveled up from Atlanta for the weekend, so it was good to spend time with them, my grandparents and aunts and uncles in Paducah. 

Saturday evening we celebrated the marriage of my sweet friend, Rachel Nelson (Roach). She was a lovely bride and it was so great to see Keith and Michele again, along with other church friends I hadn't seen in awhile. Everything was beautiful and we enjoyed celebrating with them!

Post-ceremony, pre-reception shot of me on the bridge where some of our wedding pics were!

The lovely centerpiece on our table. The purple and black theme was so elegant. 

 Sunday was Father's Day and was also my grandparent's 60th Wedding Anniversary! We enjoyed a nice Father's Day lunch and celebrated Granddaddy. That night, my Aunt Joan, Uncle Wesley, and Michael and Matthew drove from Versailles, KY to celebrate the anniversary! Uncle Richard grilled the most DELICIOUS steak! I'm a steak and potatoes girl and it was so good! It was great to catch up with everyone- the only time we're all together is during Christmas so it was great to have another reason to celebrate!

Mom made a beautiful anniversary cake and we watched a DVD that Mary and I made for Grandmommy and Granddaddy.

Their wedding day, June 16, 1953

60 years later- June 16, 2013

My grandparents are a wonderful example of love, faith and what it means to put Christ at the center of everything. I'm so thankful that I am the recipient of such a godly legacy and can only hope that my marriage can set such an example for my grandchildren someday.


Getting Crafty

So, I enjoy having a wreath on our front door. We have progressively been obtaining different wreaths for different seasons and I didn't have a summer wreath. Originally I wanted a hydrangea wreath because I think they're so pretty and classy, but then I realized that it might be a little too much for our little house. Besides, we have BEAUTIFUL yellow knock out roses that smell so sweet and I didn't want to take the attention away from them. So, naturally, I started surfing wreath ideas on Pinterest. After awhile, the moss covered initials started catching my eye.

Using this great tutorial from "The Shabby Nest" I went to work on a rainy afternoon, while "Runaway Bride" played in the background. Instead of using foam board, I used 2" thick hard styrofoam and found really cute burlap ribbon with yellow polka dots from Hobby Lobby! It was an easy craft and fun to do. Here is the finished product. I am so pleased with how it turned out!

The Fourth of July

To celebrate our nation's independence, we traveled back to Paducah to celebrate! I cooked a Chicken Divan and froze it so we could take it there for our lunch and Grandmommy wouldn't have to worry about preparing anything. It turned out very nicely! We had quite a Fourth of July feast! We had: Chicken Divan, brown rice, wheat baguette, fresh watermelon, strawberries and Ninth Street House Tea. Grandmommy also procured French Silk and Strawberry pies from Bob Evans. We enjoyed eating together and visiting.

After we ate and hung out at the house, we headed to downtown Paducah for music and the fireworks display with Uncle Patrick and Aunt Sherry. We had a blast listening to the band play patriotic music and watching the fireworks light up over the river. Such a fun tradition! Of course, we took some fun pictures while we were waiting for the show to begin :-) 

How cute is my sister? :-) 

Before heading back to Jackson (Austin and I both had to work the next day!) we made an emergency stop at Sonic (along with half of the population of Paducah!) to get some food. Note to self: next year bring cash for the concession stand :-) 

So far, our summer has been great! This weekend, we're headed to Birmingham to help lead a worship service with my Dad. Next week, I'm taking the week off to get some projects done around home and just to chill! I'm affectionately calling it my "Staycation". 

Healthy Wife, Healthy Life: Take Two

It’s been too long since I've posted! We have actually had a lot going on which we will talk about in later posts, including fun trips and answers to prayer!

So, something I really need to work on is self-discipline. In the busyness of life, craziness at work, and spending time with Austin it is difficult to be disciplined to eat well and exercise. For those of you who know me well or have been reading my blog know that I love good food and have made several attempts to get healthier that have fizzled out. See Healthy Wife, Healthy Life: 1. It’s a sad truth to face- that when the going has gotten rough, I haven’t risen to the challenge and pushed through it. I’ve bought into the lie that getting healthier and losing weight should be easy and seamlessly fit into my life. WRONG! Getting healthy and achieving weight goals takes intentionality, hard work and DISCIPLINE!

For about a month now, I've been tracking all of my food and exercise. I've cut out regular consumption of starches, bad carbs, sugary drinks and most sugar. Regarding my diet this means cutting out potatoes (soooo hard for me!), white rice, pasta, bread, baked goods/sweets and sweet tea. It has been the farthest thing from easy!  I've been eating a lot of salad (I definitely recommend Chick-fil-A’s new salads), steamed and fresh vegetables, brown rice, and lean meats. I didn't realize how much bread, pasta, rice and potatoes I have been eating! I have splurged about once a week on this, but I feel healthier overall and am eating less in general.
In addition to eating well, I have begun a Boot camp for Moms on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 6-6:45 a.m. (soooo hard to get out of bed!). My friend Katie encouraged me to try it out and I love it! It also helps that my friend Blake (who led the GO Trip to Honduras last year) is the instructor. It’s a circuit workout (which is my favorite type of exercise!) I think I have exercise ADD. I get so bored doing the same thing for more than 8 minutes. With the Boot camp, I get everything rolled up into one with the accountability of a group and jamming to awesome music the entire time! It is TOUGH, but I feel great afterwards. I've made some new friends in the process and enjoy working out with them!

In addition to Boot camp, some of the ladies in my office and I are doing workout videos after work on Tuesdays and Thursdays! It is such a blessing that we get off at 4 p.m. instead of 4:30 p.m. during the summers. I’m able to exercise and get home in plenty of time to make dinner before Austin gets home.

Up until now, I haven’t actually worked out 5 days in a row. We've been traveling or I haven’t felt well due to allergies, but this week is the week! My body is so sore and I’m so tired by the end of the day, but I’m pushing through!

I’m already seeing results. I've lost about 5 pounds and a few inches total from what I've been doing this far! Can’t wait to get fit and see more results!

Greater is He!

Today is the second day that offices at Union have been open and the students have not been here. Campus truly feels like a ghost town between the end of the Spring Semester before summer classes start in June. Our coffee shop is even closed! This means a huge change of pace for me. During the year, I'm constantly working or talking with someone. Rarely do I leave with everything done. I thrive on being busy. Even though I get really tired, I love it. Summer for me means working on projects that go on the back burner during the year like cleaning out my desk, switching files, organizing the storage closet, etc. It also means I get to spend more time with my awesome co-workers! It is a welcome change of pace, but it is an adjustment nonetheless.

I see summer as my time of the year to get re-charged and get things done that I sometimes have to forgo during the school year (such as staying on top of the laundry and cooking dinner every night!). While writing notes to students about to leave on summer mission trips to closed countries, the Lord directed me to the first chapter of Colossians and has used it to speak to my heart today.

"And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints of light." (verses 9-12) 

What an awesome example of how we should pray for each other as believers! I have been challenged to pray this way for all of my brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter what they may be going through, or at what point they are in their spiritual walk. When we pray that they grow closer to the Lord, everything else falls into place! Of course, it is important to pray specifically for difficult situations, loss, jobs, etc. but I love that we can pray scripture over each other as believers!

The second half of the passage talks about who Christ is, what He has done and the hope we have in Him! What a wonderful reminder! Praise Him!

"He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven...." (verses 13-23)

This is the hope that we have in the midst of natural disasters, horrific human acts, political uncertainty, economic crisis, personal tragedy, disappointments and in our everyday life! This is the power of the gospel. Greater is He than he who is in the world! Today, I choose joy because of the hope I have in Christ!

Memphis Adventure

On Saturday, Austin and I went to Memphis! We attended the lovely wedding of our friends, Bri and Jonathan at the Olford Center at Union's Germantown campus. Neither of us had been there before! It was so beautiful and the weather was perfect! We were so happy to celebrate Bri and Jonathan's special day! 

The ceremony took place at 2 p.m. followed by the reception across the courtyard in the back sunroom of the big house at the Olford Center. Following the reception, we had already made plans to eat dinner at Jim N Nicks on the way back to Jackson, but it was barely 4 p.m. when the reception ended. So, we decided to head into the city!

Memphis is a historic city for both of us! Austin's grandparents lived in Memphis shortly after they were married. My grandparents met in Memphis while Granddaddy was finishing medical school and Grandmommy was a nurse. Their first date was in the Peabody Hotel for one of Granddaddy's medical fraternity dances. So, the Peabody has always held a romantic charm for me. It's easy to get lost in time when you're there.

The trademark of the Peabody Hotel since the 1930s has been the ducks that swim in the gorgeous marble fountain in the center of the lobby. In the 1940s, one of the bellmen (who was a former employee of Barnum and Bailey) decided he wanted to train the ducks to march down a red carpet from the fountain to the elevator, take them up the elevator and to their penthouse on the roof. He did just that and became the first 

Duckmaster. So, every day at 11 a.m. the ducks leave their house, come down the elevator, and march down a red carpet into the fountain to John Philip Sousa. There they remain all day until 5 p.m. when they march out of the fountain to music, get in the elevator, and return to their house for the night. The last time I saw the ducks march was when I was 10 and visited Memphis with Grandmommy and Granddaddy.

When we arrived at the Peabody at 4:40 p.m., I was so excited when I saw the crowd gathering to see the ducks! It was such a lucky coincidence! We found a great spot, right next to the red carpet! There were hundreds of people crammed in that lobby and the second floor balcony. The guy in the red coat is the current Duckmaster. 

The march of the ducks only lasted a few minutes, but it was so fun to see the ducks come up that red carpet! There were lots of little kids who were delighted, and the ducks are so well trained! They paused every once in a while so everyone could get pictures and video. I think the march of the ducks is a great reminder that people still enjoy the simple things in life :-) 

The ducks made their departure in the elevator and then the lobby returned to normal. Austin and I enjoyed exploring!

I tried to capture all of the elements of the lobby in this picture: the beautiful marble fountain (daytime home of the ducks), elegant chandelier, gorgeous woodwork and stained glass ceiling. I love how historic, elegant and timeless the lobby is. 

This fountain is just so lovely! And I love the flower arrangement! 

As we walked around the lobby and talked, an older lady adorned in a shiny gold jacket played big band era music and show tunes on the grand piano. She was so talented! We gave her a small tip in her jar, and tried to be inconspicuous, but she thanked us warmly and asked if we had a song request. At the same time, we asked for our song, "The Way You Look Tonight". It was so special. We went up onto the second floor overlooking the lobby where we could hear the music really well and danced. :-) It was so romantic! 

After our dance, we took some pictures :-) 

My handsome man! 

We stayed at The Peabody for almost two hours and then decided we were hungry, so went back to our van in the Parking Deck! We couldn't figure out how to exit the parking deck, so we ended up on the top level and decided to take more pictures. Here is the side-exterior of The Peabody. The Duck condo is on the right :-) 

A look into the sunset over the Mississippi River. It was much more beautiful in person. 

We did end up going to Jim N Nicks and ate DELICIOUS food! We were so stuffed, but it was so worth it!

We loved our date in Memphis! :-)